European Travel

Skipping the Pizza on a hop through Naples See Naples and die, the saying goes. You can minimize the risk of this by avoiding Pizza. Firstly turning your back on the famous Neapolitan dish mean you’re saying ‘no’ to a big wedge of mostly nutrition-free carbohydrates. Secondly because avoiding Pizza in this glorious city takes some effort and a lot … Read More

My friend David Swift is a kind of magician. He can conjure up amazing images in a few captivating words, painting mental pictures which then become reality. Forty years ago, when I first met him, he convinced me to learn a mime routine, dress up as a clown and set off on a busking tour of Britain. Together with another … Read More

Seven days felt the right amount of time to spend in this lovely seaside town with its two appealing sandy beaches and fairly unspoiled historic centre. It’s medium in size and not too challenging on any level. In fact sometimes it felt a bit too easy for the English tourist. They were many of us, ambling around in those awful … Read More

Exchange your Home and off you Roam If you’re short of cash or like the idea of living like a local, exchanging homes is a great option. You don’t have to pay for accommodation and you walk straight into someone else’s world. I didn’t want to rent out my flat in Valencia. It’s a delicate period piece, with original wooden … Read More

Anyone who has wandered around the Poblats Maritims area of Valencia will have noticed that many of the houses are covered with the most beautiful tiles, which enrich the charm and character of this entrancing neighborhood. Of the 700 protected houses, 300 have tiled facades whose spectacular designs range from traditional, delicate and pretty to wild, abstract and surreal. When … Read More

Through my work as a travel writer, I attend World Travel Market, the world’s biggest travel trade fair. In 2014, I headed to the Valencia stand and spread the map of the city out on the table, behind which stood an important tourist board representative. I jabbed my finger at the El Cabanyal area, a district built by fishermen, which … Read More

A friend moved to Hastings from Brighton ten years ago because he had heard it was ‘the new Brighton.’ One day, not long after he had arrived, he was sitting in a pub, quietly sipping a pint and immersed in a book when another customer, bawled across the bar ‘If you want to read get out of here and go … Read More

Cornish Delights I have always been smitten with Cornwall with its crunchy golden sand coves, yellow ice-cream, wild surf beaches and famous fish restaurants. I nearly moved to live there once, as I came within days of buying a house in St Ives, a town which still retains a special place in my heart. Other dreams have been followed now … Read More